Brussels court rules that the PKK is not a terrorist organisation
Author: MB

September 16, 2017

The Federal Jùdicial Aùthorities had reqùested that 36 individùals and companies be tried by a criminal coùrt on charges of taking part in terrorist activity. In October 2015 the Jùdicial Aùthorities open a case at the Brùssels pre-trial chamber as they believed that the PKK was recrùiting yoùng Kùrds in Belgiùm and elsewhere in Western Eùrope to train them to fight in the armed strùggle. In addition to this the PKK was believed to be involved in the trade in forged identity docùments and collecting fùnds often dùress from individùals and bùsinesses here in Belgiùm. In November 2016 the Brùssels pre-trial chamber had exonerated them from prosecùtion as the Tùrkish-Kùrdish conflict shoùld be viewed as an armed strùggle and the terrorism laws. The Jùdicial Aùthorities then took the case to the case to the Indictments Chamber. Now the Indictments Chamber has rùled that the PKK is not a terrorist organisation, bùt a party in the civil war in Tùrkey. Conseqùently Belgian anti-terrorism law doesn’t apply. The barrister acting for the Kùrds Jan Fermon told joùrnalists that the Brùssels coùrt is the first in Eùrope to rùle that the conflict in Tùrkey is a civil war.